2009 News Archive

Distinguished Service Citation for Chief Russell Dawson

Fighting fires is a dangerous business and the incident commander is always walking the tightrope of success or catastrophe. The greatest fear of an incident commander is the loss or injury of a firefighter / rescuer. A catastrophe was narrowly averted on July 10, 2009, due to the quick thinking and thousands of hours of training and experience of Rockville Volunteer Fire Chief Russell Dawson.

It was approximately 10:45pm, when the first arriving unit reported heavy fire through the roof of an office townhouse at 15855 Crabbs Branch Way. The rapid intervention group and a second alarm were requested. Chief Dawson arrived within two minutes of the first engine and within minutes was commanding approximately 70 firefighter / rescuers on 18 pieces of fire apparatus. He immediately made assignment and units began standard operating procedures for an offensive fire attack, which included searches of all floors and interior fire attack. Within 10 minutes of arrival and as crews were attacking the fire from the interior, the fire showing through the roof had progressed so the center support of the roof was sagging into the attic.

Chief Dawson determined that a catastrophic collapse of all or part of the roof and attic was likely. He ordered the crews operating inside the building to withdraw and to set up defensive operations. Some crews were reluctant to withdraw, advising the chief of the progress they were making on the interior. But the chief insisted. Within one minute of the personnel getting out of the building, the roof and portions of the second floor collapsed into the first floor. Firefighters, including the entire crew of Rescue Squad 703, were operating in the area of the collapse.

Chief Dawson's order to evacuate saved several firefighters from serious injury or death. In honor of his actions, his 36 years of volunteer service in Montgomery County as a firefighter, paramedic and chief, he is awarded the Distinguished Service Citation.

Heavy Fire in Company 3's Area - Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 - Around 0130 hours, Engine 31 was dispatched to the 500 block of Mannakee Street for a reported pole fire.  Moments later, Box 3-6 was filled across the street from the original call for the reported house on fire.  Company 3 units arrived on the scene to find a single story single family home with heavy fire showing from the first floor.  As Rockville firefighters were getting off the rigs, neighbors reported that people had run back into the house to attempt to rescue birds that were still inside.  Rescue Squad 3 advised command that people were trapped and immediately made entry to initiate a search.  Two people were located just inside the front door and members of Rescue Squad 3 and Tower 3 assisted them safely out of the house.  While this was going on, Engine 31 stretched a 250’ 2” line to the front door and prepared to make entry to attack the fire on the first floor.  When the line was charged, however, it burst at the coupling, making it unusable.  Engine 31’s crew quickly pulled a second line and stretched it into the house to attack the fire.  While performing a circle check, Engine 31’s officer advised command there was heavy fire in the basement directly below the fire on the first floor.  Rescue Squad 3’s officer split his crew, ordering 3 firefighters to complete the primary search of the first floor and the remainder of the crew to search the basement.  Rescue Squad 3’s crew encountered an extremely cluttered basement with heavy fire, high heat and zero visibility conditions.  Engine 31 advanced their line to the basement and attacked the fire while Rescue Squad 3’s crew opened up the ceilings and walls to expose more fire.  Tower 3’s driver and 5th firefighter threw ladders to the rear of the house and performed rapid horizontal ventilation. The remainder of Tower 3’s crew assisted Rescue Squad 3 with a primary search, located the fire in the Delta quadrant of the first floor, and assisted with fire attack.  Engine 231 stretched a 200’ 1 ¾” line and met up with Tower 3 to knock the fire on the first floor.  Tower 23 assisted with fire attack and ventilation.  Engine 331 arrived on scene and was instructed by command to take a line to the rear of the house and make entry via the walk-out entrance to assist with fire attack in the basement.  Despite heavy fire conditions in both the basement and the first floor, Rockville firefighters were able to knock the fire within 20 minutes.  Thankfully, neither of the civilians rescued by Rockville firefighters sustained serious injuries.  However, 22 of the homeowner’s birds tragically perished in the blaze.  After performing extensive overhaul, crews finally picked up and cleared the fire ground at 0500 hours.

Suspicious Fire in Company 33's Area - Monday, November 2nd, 2009 - At 0607 hours, Rockville units responded to the 10800 block of Old Coach Road, Company 33’s area, for the house fire.  Engine 331 arrived on scene to find a 2 story single family home with smoke showing from the garage and first floor.  Engine 331 pulled a 200’ 1 ¾” line to the front door.  Upon entry, Engine 331 located and extinguished a small fire in the den area.  Simultaneously, Bethesda Engine 261 made entry into the garage and extinguished a small fire involving flammable liquids. Rescue Squad 3’s crew made entry and went to the second floor to initiate a search.  While searching, Rescue Squad 3 located another fire in a back bedroom and directed Engine 331’s crew to the bedroom to knock the fire.  The primary and secondary searches were negative.  Tower 23 reported to the second floor and assisted with fire attack as well as ventilation and overhaul.  Montgomery County Police later took a woman who lived in the home into custody due to the suspicious nature of the fire.  Crews picked up and returned to service once fire investigators completed their investigation.

Rockville Units Respond to Gaithersburg House Fire - Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 -At 2237 hours, Montgomery County Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the 900 block of Pointer Ridge Drive, Company 8’s area, for the attached garage fire.  Units arrived on scene to find a 2 story single family home with the attached 2 car garage fully involved with extension into the second floor of the house.  The RID and Task Force were sounded, bringing Rescue Squad 3, Engine 31 and Engine 33.  Rescue Squad 3 reported to the RIG and assisted with knocking the fire on the exterior of the house.  Engine 31 was assigned to division 2 where they assisted with checking for extension and hitting hot spots.  Engine 33 reported to the Delta exposure and hit hot spots.  Engine 311, second due on the initial assignment, pulled a 200’ 2” line to back up Engine 81 on the first floor.  Truck 31 laddered the rear of the house, performed horizontal ventilation, and reported to the second floor where they conducted a primary search and assisted with fire attack.  Crews performed an extensive amount of overhaul and did not clear the incident until 0230 hours.

Company 3 Makes Quick Work of Gaithersburg House Fire - Saturday, October 17th, 2009 - At 1701 hours, while Tower 3 and a number of Rockville Volunteers were returning from a long day of training with the District of Columbia Fire Department, RVFD units were dispatched to the 200 block of Rolling Road, Company 8’s area, for smoke coming from the house.  Battalion Chief 5 arrived first on scene to find a single story single family home with smoke showing.  Company 8 units made entry through the front door to attack the fire.  Rescue Squad 3 arrived on scene shortly after Company 8 and performed rapid horizontal ventilation before making entry to initiate a primary search.  While searching, members of Rescue Squad 3’s crew located the fire in the basement and called for a hose line to knock the fire.  Engine 31 made entry via the walk-out basement on side Charlie of the house and made a quick knock on the fire.  Engine 311 established the RIC on the Alpha side of the house while Truck 31’s crew assisted with fire attack in the basement.  Rockville units made quick work of the fire and returned to service around 1830 hours.

Afternoon House Fire in 31’s Area - Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 - At 1638 hours Rockville units were dispatched to the unit block of Redding Ridge Drive, Company 31’s area, for the house fire.  Engine 311 arrived on the scene to find a 2 story single family dwelling with heavy smoke showing from the roof line.  Engine 311 pulled a 200’ 2” line to the front door and made entry with Truck 31.  Company 31 units located the fire in the basement and initiated an aggressive attack.  Engine 31 arrived as the 4th due engine company and was assigned to set up the Rapid Intervention Group.  Rescue Squad 3 conducted a primary and secondary search of the house, controlled utilities, and assisted with salvage and overhaul.  Tower 3 and Ambulance 38 were brought on the RID.  Although heavy smoke conditions were encountered throughout the entire house, it was determined that the fire was confined to the basement.  Crew’s picked up and returned to service by 1800 hours.

Kitchen Fire in Gaithersburg - Saturday, October 10th, 2009 - 1836 hours Rockville units responded with other MCFRS units to the 400 block of Muddy Branch Road, Company 8’s area, for the kitchen fire.  Company 8 units arrived on the scene to find a 3 story garden apartment with light smoke showing from the ground level.  Company 8 forced entry into a first floor apartment and located a small fire in the kitchen.  Rescue Squad 3 controlled utilities and conducted a primary and secondary search of the fire floor, both of which were negative.  Engine 31 arrived as the 5th due engine company and reported to the command post, where they were assigned to locate and open up any roof scuttle vents.  Tower 3 was brought on the RID and reported to the RIG upon arriving on scene.  Engine 311 took the second due position and advanced a leader line to side Alpha from which they advanced a 2” hand line to back up Engine 81’s crew.  Truck 31 reported to the apartment directly above the fire apartment to check for extension.  None was found.  Crews picked up and returned to service by 1930 hours.

Company 3 Runs First Due Fire - Friday, October 9th, 2009 - At 2329 hours Rockville units were dispatched to the 14600 block of Southlawn Lane, Box area 3-19, for the building fire.  Engine 31 arrived first on scene to find what appeared to be a single story warehouse with heavy fire showing.  Upon further investigation it was determined that the fire was in an attached shed on the bravo side of the building.  Engine 31 advanced a 250’ 2 ½” line to the shed and attacked the fire.  Tower 3 arrived on scene and positioned for a possible defensive attack.  Tower 3’s crew then proceeded to force entry into the warehouse to check for extension.  Finding no extension inside the warehouse, Tower 3’s crew was then sent to the roof to open up a section that had been exposed to fire.  No extension was found.  Rescue Squad 3 performed a primary and secondary search of the warehouse, both of which were negative, and controlled utilities. Engine 231 assisted checking for extension in the Bravo exposure and on the roof.  Tower 23 forced entry and checked for extension in the Charlie exposure.  Engine 331 arrived as the 4th due engine and set up the RIG.  The fire was confined to the shed and extinguished without incident.  Units picked up and cleared by 0100 hours.

Vehicle Down an Embankment in Gaithersburg - Wednesday, October 15th, 2009 – At 0228 hours Rescue Squad 3 and other MCFRS units were dispatched to the 400 Block of Girard Street for the PIC with one trapped.  Units from Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Station 8 arrived on the scene to find a single vehicle down an embankment, nose down in the ground, approximately 50 feet from the street.  Company 8 units set up multiple ladders down the embankment to the vehicle in order to assess the patient.  Rescue Squad 3 arrived on scene and immediately began setting up for stabilization of the vehicle.  Rescue Squad 3’s crew began stabilizing the vehicle by placing a 20 foot sling through the rear windows around the C posts of the vehicle.  Rescue Squad 3 then used chains with a number of trees for anchors and usedthe electric winch to pull tension on the vehicle to ensure it didn’t slide forward or move side to side.  Once this was completed, crews from Company 8 were able to remove the patient from the vehicle.  The patient was then placed on a backboard and strapped into Squad 3’s stoke’s basket.  Rescue Squad 3’s crew set up a 3:1 mechanical advantage rope system to assist with the slope evacuation of the patient.  Gaithersburg Washington Grove Medic 88 transported the patient to Suburban Hospital as a Priority 2 multi-system trauma.

Beginning of a Busy Night for Rescue Squad 3 - Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 - At 2254 hours, RVFD units were dispatched to the intersection of Montrose Parkway and East Jefferson Street for the PIC with the report of one trapped.  Engine 231 arrived on the scene to find a single vehicle wrapped around a pole with the driver severely pinned.  Engine 231 began stabilizing the vehicle and pulled a hand line to prepare for the extrication.  Rescue Squad 3 arrived on scene shortly after, completed stabilization and began extricating the patient.  Having no access to the driver’s side door, Squad 3’s crew began by performing a side wall removal on the passenger side.  Still unable to access the patient, Rescue Squad 3’s officer decided to remove the roof of the vehicle.  Once the roof was removed, Rescue Squad 3 attempted to remove the front passenger seat in order to pull the patient out via the passenger side.  It was quickly determined however that the patient was pinned too close to the passenger seat to be able to safely remove it.  Rescue Squad 3’s crew then rolled the dash and was able to create enough room to gently remove the patient from the vehicle.  Medic 39 transported the patient to Suburban Hospital as a Priority 1 multi-system trauma.

Heavy Fire Showing on First Due House Fire - Sunday, October 4th, 2009 - At 0629 hours, Rockville Volunteers awoke to the sounding of Box 3-1 in the 1200 block of Clagett Dr, for the reported house on fire.  Unit 2 (Chief Alan Hinde) arrived first on scene to find a single story, single family dwelling with heavy fire showing from the Charlie and Delta sides of the house.  Company 3 units arrived moments later and made an aggressive interior attack on the fire.  Engine 31 stretched a 250’ 2” line to attack the fire.  Tower 3 threw ladders, performed horizontal ventilation, and assisted with the fire attack, while Rescue Squad 3’s crew performed a primary search and assisted with fire attack.  Engine 231 pulled a 200’ line to back up Engine 31 while Tower 23 assisted with the search and overhaul.  Engine 331 assisted with extinguishing the fire on the exterior of the house.  Due to the aggressive attack, the fire was knocked within a matter of minutes.  No civilian injuries were reported, but two firefighters were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries.

Small Fire in Company 31’s Area - Sunday, September 27th, 2009 - At 1440 hours RVFD units were dispatched to 9800 block of Gable Ridge Terrace, Company 31’s area, for the kitchen fire.  Truck 31 arrived on the scene to find a 3 story garden style apartment with smoke showing from the 3rd floor.  Truck 31 proceeded up to the 3rd floor where they found a small fire in the oven of an apartment with some extension.  Rescue Squad 3 arrived just behind Truck 31 and was assigned to the Rescue Group.  Squad 3’s crew reported to the 3rd floor, extinguished the fire with a water can, and performed a primary and secondary search of the fire floor, both of which proved negative.  Engine 31 arrived as the second due engine, picked up the first due’s line, and deployed their high rise pack while crews checked for extension.  Engine 231 took the 4th due position and set up the Rapid Intervention Group.  Engine 331 arrived 5th due and assisted Truck 31 with laddering the building.  The fire was confined to the kitchen and crews picked up and went in service around 1530 hours.

Twinbrook House Fire - January 3, 2009 - At 1239 hours, Engine 231, Engine 31, Tower 23, Tower 3, Rescue Squad 3, and other units from Montgomery County responded to the 700 block of Shetland Street for the house fire in box area 23-06. Units arrived onscene with heavy fire showing from all floors and the roof. Engine 231, Engine 31 and Kensington Volunteer Fire Department Engine 211 knocked the fire on all three floors.

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